The Raiders raced out to a 41-14 lead in the opening 15 minutes in a joust for first place at Oakland, making 17 of their first 27 shots and storming to a 94-84 victory Sunday.
Playing without leading scorer Michael Cooper (hand injury) for the fourth straight time, they shot 35 of 59 (59.3%), 9 of 18 from 3 and 15 of 15 on free throws on the way to their sixth consecutive win — their best streak since chalking up seven in a row in 2021-22.
They’re 11-7 overall and sit atop the HL at 6-1 — their best start since also going 6-1 in 2021-22 (that team finished fourth).
“(The defense) took the air out of this place and gave us all the confidence and momentum,” coach Clint Sargent said on his post-game radio show.
Solomon Callaghan had a career-high 27 points, going 6 of 9 on 3’s. Kellen Pickett had 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
TJ Burch had 18 points and a game-high six assists, and Dom Pangonis had 13 points on his birthday.
The Raiders led by as many as 29 and had a 74-46 edge after Pangonis’ 3 with 12 minutes to go.
The Grizzlies (9-9, 5-2) went on a 22-4 run after that to make it 78-68 with 4:56 left.
Andrea Holden’s dunk at the end of the shot clock pushed the lead back to 12.
“Solomon really settled us down. He made some big shots. Collectively, the nerve of our team … it was a full 40 (minutes)," Sargent said.
“We have some experience playing with leads and managing all that the game turns into. It’s not as easy as it looks.”
The Grizzlies started 5 of 22 from the field and 0 of 6 on 3’s. They finished 27 of 58 (46.6%) and 7 of 19 on 3’s.
The 2024 HL tourney champs (who also upset Kentucky in the NCAA tourney) were swept by Wright State for the first time since going 0-3 in 2021-22.
The Raiders out-rebounded their hosts, 40-21, though the Grizzlies have Tuburu Naivalurua, a 6-8 wide-bodied Australian who was the HL preseason player of the year. He had 15 points and six rebounds.
“There’s plenty to clean up. We feel like we can be better and play better. Obviously, we need to get healthy. We’re just really trying to stay present with all of this,” Sargent said.
Next game
Who: Youngstown State at Wright State
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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